MrRobot3

The third installment of my Mr Robot writings, Spoilers ahead, as before after the jump

16 Credits

To the Tune of "16 Tons"

"Theology says we're made outta mud,
Biology names my muscles and blood.
Studying long, studying hard,
A back that's weak and a mind that's strong

You take 16 credits, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Internships won't pay me, don't you know?
I owe my soul to the University Store.

In high school they told me, to get ahead
You've got to get degrees from colleges.
Now I'm struggling through, my English test
counting up all the money I have spent.

You take 16 credits, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Just this semester, another load
Twenty thousand dollars more I owe.

Spring break is coming, better take a ride,
Some students didn't and some kids died.
Stress on the left hand, debt on your heels
If one don't get ya, the other one will.

You take 16 credits, what do you get?
Another day older and deeper in debt.
Teacher don't you fail me, I must go,
I owe my soul to the University Store."

MrRobotEp2

So I figure I can do like everyone else and push a Blog post for TV shows. This shouldn't be too long as the free streaming goes away January 31st. IU think that I'm spoiler safe at this time, but I'll put a break before any spoilers.  We'll see if it gets any traction. I'm going to do these stream of consciousness with little editing. Consider the break your Spoiler Warning

MrRobot

Ever get skeeved out by something being too perfectly aligned with your tastes and interests? That's how the first episode of Mr Robot made me feel. Just different enough for plausible deniability, but close enough to my tastes to make the hairs stand up on my neck. Cyberpunk outsider hero with a taste for military style backpacks and black hoodies hacks his way to justice. It's a good Show, Christian Slater has his character down, the conspiracy and evil corporation (which has an Enron logo), the insanity of the main character. I dunno, maybe it's looking at the things that I like for another angle, seeing how they are not good things.

The Bad

So many tropes. I'll say that there is very likely a bunch of trope-breaking later in the series, and so I'm not sure how upset I should be about these.

• The White cisgendered straight male hacker with poor social skills who of course is on drugs.
• The "Friendzoned" protagonist who has to "Save women"
• the fact that he is surrounded by women who seem to care for him but his "true Love" only dates jerks
• the tech is good enough to TV (narratively accurate?) and at least they get the words right. but stilted enough to make me wonder how bad it can get.
• Every Watch_Dogs criticism applies here.

Recommendations:

Did you like Mr Robot? Watch "Welcome to the NHK" and "Black Mirror". Welcome to the NHK is a more mundane take on the type of crazy the main character is portrayed with, but it sells the human ness of the madness. Black Mirror is full of Twilight Zone happenings involving near future and cyberpunk type conspiracies.

I'm going to watch the rest of the show, but that was a harsh feeling on the piolt. Lets see if it can keep these leads together and make something interesting.

Four Gun Minimum

The hobby of firearms is very expansive, with so many picayune differences in guns and cartridges it can be overwhelming. So here is a thought experiment for people getting started as firearms enthusiasts and for old hands with walls full of guns. You can do everything you might want to do with just 4 guns.

I first came across this idea in the writings of the late Col. Jeff Cooper. The idea being that with a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, and a .22 rimfire you can do just about anything you might want to do with a gun. The shotgun allows you to hunt all manner of small game and birds. The rifle serves as your large game and weapon of warfare, Your pistol is the constant self-defense companion, and the .22 rimfire is for "fun" shooting and training new shooters, or possibly small ground game where the shotgun is too noisy.

But Which Guns?

Col. Cooper's answer here was the 1911 for self defense, a Scout Rifle for the rifle, a double barrel "coach" or pump shotgun and a rimfire rifle of some type. My answer differs based on what your focus is. 

For a shooter learning the ropes I'd recommend a bolt action 22 rimfire rifle, a bolt action centerfire rifle in 308, a 12 gauge pump shotgun (with interchangeable barrels, like the Mossberg combos) and a rimfire semi-auto pistol. 

For the self-defense oriented shooter I'd recommend a defensive semi-auto pistol like a Glock or XD, an AR-15-style rifle (possibly something like the JR carbines or Glock magazine ARs if range is not important to their defense). A semi auto shotgun with a barrel less then 20", preferably with detachable magazines if available. And a small rimfire pistol or revolver for backup.

For the hunter I'd recommend an interchangeable barrel pump action shotgun, a bolt action 30-06 caliber rifle, a 44 Magnum or greater caliber revolver and a semi-auto rimfire rifle.

For the target shooter, I'd recommend a 1911-style pistol, an AR-15-type rifle, an over and under shotgun and a target rimfire of their choice of type.

For the "prepper" looking for guns that will keep running the longest, a 357 magnum double action revolver. A "convertible" 22 rimfire single action revolver. A Thomson/Center Contender with a variety of barrels, and a double barrel over and under "Turkey" shotgun with interchangeable chokes.

For those worried about "Zombie Apocalypse", but on a budget. A PMR-30 pistol, a 22 Magnum rimfire semiauto rifle, a 9mm pistol and a pump action shotgun with a 18" barrel.

For the more general shooter on a budget in a rural area, A single barrel break open shotgun, A used bolt action rifle in a midrange caliber, a used revolver in 38 special or 357 magnum and a budget rimfire rifle.

For the more general shooter on a budget in an urban area, an inexpensive semi-auto pistol in 380 or 9mm, a rimfire semi auto pistol, a rimfire semi auto rifle and a break action shotgun.

Classic "Old West" enthusiast. a Single action centerfire revolver, a single action rimfire revolver, a lever action rifle in 30-30 if they hunt, or their revolver cartridge if they don't, and a double barrel "coach" shotgun.

But that's just me. What do you think are the 4 guns to start with, and for what focus? Post your choices in the comments.

Is that Really Enough?

This is where gun people start to worry about all the guns not on the list. What about a backup carry gun or a rifle that can take bear or African big game? What about match shooting or a really long range rifle? Well that's why this list is a starting point. First, focus on the guns that will suit the problems and use cases you are most likely to have. Then branch out into the things you want to do. It's better to have just a couple of guns and a bunch of ammo then dozens of guns you never get to shoot.

Annoying

A short list of things that bug me:

• Barrels for .22LR that are longer then 16.5"-18.5". Long Rifle ammunition loses velocity beyond these barrel lengths and it makes what should be a short, light rifle unnecessarily heavy and long. If there is no legal requirement for a longer barrel, don't use one!
• Role Playing Games with wonderful settings where NPCs do things that are unsupported by the rules. Sure it's "Just" flavor text, but that it the stuff you use to get players interested in the game.
• The failure of the AR-180 and the lack of clones and "inspired" designs on the market. If it hadn't gotten stuck in the 1970s and 1980s it could be just as modular (or more so) then the AR-15 design.
• The lack of good UI design in cryptography software.
• Hardcoded wireless standards in devices that require your network to downshift it's security.
• The difficulty in getting people to actually use encryption. I'm looking at you government and large corporations.
• How Facebook has put itself into the middle of all interpersonal communications. It wouldn't be so bad if people still answered email or other messaging systems.
• The lack of detachable magazine fed pump action shotguns on the market.
• Fixed gear bikes without brakes. Single speeds are cool, but the constant spin setup is annoying and brakes are a safety feature.
• How Linux designers decide that you don't need UI for program settings. 
• When there is a background image (like the Windows 10 Lock Screen) you can't change
• Operating systems without workspaces/virtual desktops (luckily the big three all have that now. Thanks Windows 10!)
• The death of the Trackpoint keyboard pointer. Best laptop "mouse" ever, and perfect for coding, no having to move your fingers off the keyboard to mouse to something.

Encumberance

Notes about Encumbrance raw from my unpublished works:

Determining Encumbrance Points for U5D and White Wolf rule sets: (STR+END)x2=Encumbrance Pts
Example: (STR 3)+(END 3)=6×2=12 encumbrance points
These Pts are the amount of gear that can be carried before penalties are assessed to Combat, Climbing, and Stealth Skills. All gear has an encumbrance point rating.

Maximum Encumbrance:

Max. encumbrance is the total amount that can be carried by the character. It is calculated as (STR+END)x4. This is the total marching weight that can be carried all day (resting 15min every 2-3hrs). STRx80 is the maximum lifting ability and can be carried/dragged for ENDx4 minutes.

Encumbrance Locations:

Maximum “free” points by location, However total encumbrance applies as well. If you only have 4 Encumbrance points then a full "Cops belt" (6pts) is going to penalize you. Even though it doesn't exceed the 6 pt belt location maximum. (*See Penalties)

• Head: 1pt(Helmet is +1)
• Chest: Special
• Back: Special
• Belt: 6pts
• Thigh: 3pts each
• Calf: 1pt each
• Forearm: 1pt each
• Upperarm: 1pt each
• Slung: 5pts*
• Inhand: STRx2

Elbow pads are worn on the Upper arm, Knee pads are worn on the on the Calf.

Encumbrance Penalties:

All Encumbrance penalties are cumulative.

• Exceeding total encumbrance points results in a +1 per 5 points exceeded. ex: 10 total pts, 6pts belt, 9 pts slung, 5 pts In Hand= +2 difficulty ToHit, Climbing, Etc. Exceeding 4pts on Back, +1 per 20pts/lbs.
• More than 1 Slung Item= +1 difficulty per extra item. EXCEPTION: 1 Bandoleer may be (Slung) and 1 may be (Chest) w/o special penalty. ex: a 2pt SMG and a 3 pt bag are both Slung=+1
• Clothing and LBE/Gear only encumbers when carried not when worn (the encumbrance of the +clothes/gear itself, NOT any attached/carried items)
• All armor encumbers when worn and when carried.
• Unless concealable, LBE is the always top layer.
• Carrying a person/animal/item over your shoulders (fireman’s carry) is considered Back location and encumbers 1pt for every 5lbs. HOWEVER, at least one hand is occupied with the load.
• Swimming: ALL Encumbrance pts are counted toward the negative Swimming Modifer +1 for every 10 pts.

Encumbrance Notation:

• Item A, 1; A standard item
• Item C, 1c; A concealable item, standard encumbrance
• Item P, 1p; A pocket item, .1 lbs encumbrance, number is for pocket encumbrance (see below)

Pocket Encumbrance:

Clothes have pockets, and keeping things in them takes no appreciable tool on your character. While carrying a gun or knife or ammo in your pocket can be encumbering, Pocket items have virtually no encumbrance, but they do take up space, filling the capacity of the pocket equal to their encumbrance. ex. Car keys, .5p, Wallet 1p. All Pocket items are Concealable. A pocket item can be attached to LBE/Gear, taking up slots but not weight. A pocket and LBE can have the same location, BUT the LBE will block the swift retrieval of the pocket item (2 actions to retrieve/draw). Belts do not block pockets.

Only one LBE item may be worn in a location (1 helmet, 1 thigh holster, etc) with the following exceptions:

• Chest; Bandoleers can be combined with any chest LBE; Shoulder/Chest Holsters may be combined with Suspenders.
• Back; A Buttpack may be worn with a knapsack but NOT a framepack.
• Belt; Two (2) belts may be worn without additional penalty, a third belt means that Belt 1’s items are no longer accessible:

Belt Locations:

The six points of belt carry reflect the 6 major spaces that things can be carried on a belt. Front Left, Front Right, Left Hip, Right Hip, Back Left, Back Right. This rule is completely optional, but again it can help you visualize things better.

Chest Locations:

Lode Bearing Equipment, Vests and Body Armor determine chest locations. Generally the number of points is equal to the number of spaces. A Shoulder Holster has 2 points of carrying capacity, Left and Right. Load Bearing Vests have up to 9 points arranged however you’d like. Remember that the encumbrance of armor counts against this location as well as the gear hung off the armor.

Back Location:

While 6pts may be directly attached without additional penalty (by armor or a vest for example), Backpacks and knapsacks are special cases. A framed backpack can carry its rating in encumbrance, but only encumbers 1pt for every 5pts loaded. Knapsacks encumber 1pt for every 3 loaded. Encumbrance past the 6pt area max encumbers at +1 for every 20 lbs/pts (double what every other location is). The downside is that everything stored in backpacks is unavailable until the pack is removed and dug through. It generally takes 1d4 rounds to find what you want in a knapsack, 1d6 in a backpack, and 1d10 in a Large Backpack.
The above rules on total encumbrance and exceeding location encumbrance apply.

Smartguns

Why Smart Guns are the Flying Car of Gun Technology

With the President's Executive Order to further research "Smart Gun technology and adoption," this topic once again appears in the public forum. And on paper (and in video games, like Metal Gear Solid), it sounds like a great solution to keep guns out of unauthorized hands. In reality, it's a buggy boondoggle that will do nothing for safety and security. Not just for the reasons most gun enthusiasts mention, but the concept itself is impossible.

What is a Smart Gun?

A Smart Gun is one that only works for an authorized user. Typically the user is verified by a dongle, watch, ring, implant, fingerprint or key. In the cases of science fiction, voiceprints, implanted "Nanomachines" and or cybernetic implant. The idea is that the smarts only allow the gun to fire if an authorized user is holding the gun. No system is 100%, so we will discount the edge cases of someone being coerced to use their gun or incapacitated users being used for authentication.

State of the Smart Gun

As of today there are four technologies that I know of designed for this.

1. MagnaTrigger, a magnetic ring that unlocked a safety in certain guns. As far as I know, this technology is no longer being produced or explored.
2. The iGun system which is developed and patented but not available for sale for ideological reasons uses a ring with a RFID crypto chip and a stock with a solenoid firing pin lock connected to a processor that validates the ring's cryptographic key.
3. Internal gun locks. These are not generally used when guns are carried, but as a supplemental security device in homes.
4. The Armatix iP1 pistol uses a "Smartwatch" like the iGun system but with the added safety of having to enter a PIN every time you pair the gun with the watch and various sensors to relock the gun if your vitals are unreadable. This system can also be disabled remotely and has other features.

There are other concepts that haven't reached the pre-production stage yet such as fingerprint readers etc. The criticisms that already exist apply to all of them. What if the battery wears out? What if it gets damaged, what if I lose the unlocking device? The biggest problem is one of safety. In order to be an effective lock, it would have to lock the gun with a round in the chamber. It would have to preclude disassembly as well to prevent the lock being disabled. It would also make gunsmithing and repairs impossible without some sort masterkey or other unlock. Such a masterkey would inevitably be discovered and used by criminals to unlock stolen guns and others to unlock guns without authorization. Thus the fatal flaw. Either the gun locks the cartridges in the chamber unsafely and makes normal cleaning and maintenance nigh impossible or it has a hardcoded backdoor that will inevitably leak.

My solution

Safe storage will always be a responsibility of gun owners. No on-board lock will ever change that. Where this idea has merit is as a safety for gun grabs and takeaways. It would work thus;

• Using a ring system similar to the iGun, but the lock only locks the hammer or trigger, you can load, unload and disassemble the gun with the lock on.
• On drawing the gun the lock immediately and automatically unlocks. Once it unlocks it will only fire while next to the ring.
• The "Smarts" would be completely removable with basic hand tools.
• In a difficult to reach compartment (like the magazine well of a semiauto pistol or a pistol grip compartment of a rifle or shotgun) there would be a switch to deactivate the "Smarts" so the gun works like any other.
• In the event of circuity or battery failure, the gun defaults to unlock.
• Any electronics would be programmable, but only by a wired connection in the difficult to reach compartment.

Any lock can be opened in enough time. So instead of trying to make a gun that can't be unlocked, I'd focus on making guns that are resistant to grabs and takeaways. I'd start with an add on wrap-around grip for 19ll's that replaces the grip safety mechanism. One panel would hold the electronics and the other would hold the battery. An AR-15 lower modified so the electronics in the grip can act on the trigger group. A shotgun buttstock and grip assembly that works with modified receivers. Working up to a polymer framed  striker fired pistol with the electronics in a detachable backstrap.

NB: In the context of this post, "Smart Guns" refers to the concept of a gun that only operates for authorized individuals, not enhanced aiming devices or cybernetic coordination. Sorry Shadowrun lovers.

The Rise of the United States

The New Deal, World War II and the Cold War made America a superpower that could afford guns and butter. the US didn't have to rebuild or repay after WWI, giving us a leg up on the old world empires. we came through the Great Depression with a rebuilt infrastructure and without a civil war or even major regime change. We fought much of WWII as the factory and breadbasket of the allies. We emerged from WWII with our population and means of production mostly intact.

We then immediately entered the Cold War and spent rocketships of money on research in outrageously obscure and cutting edge fields like nuclear physics and space travel. And this gave us so many unintended inventions that it fueled our economy for 60 years.  This changed America from a nation of producers to a nation of consumers. It was during this time that the nature of business changed, and business became much more political and profit hungry, eating it's own legs from the early 1970's on.

Business got greedy and saw the money spent on the people as just more money that could be spent on it. Business changed politics to be about businesses vs the people, and the people lost. Now businesses don't want their government to invest in big ideas that will grow everyone, because some of the money will go to their competitors. So they starve the government, after feeding from it for so long that they can no longer see where they came from.

 I find it useful to write about history in order to prime myself for writing RPG history. It can help design the setting to see where the differences can create new things. In the other direction, you can deconstruct settings to see where the divergence is.